47 Destinies: Finding Grace (19 page)

Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through the room and blew out all of the candles.  Todd felt a frigid fog pass over his body.  He thought he heard a jumble of whispering words, but he couldn’t make anything out.

“What in the world?” Todd said shocked by the experience.  “Is your window open?”

“No,” Grace said.  She knew exactly what had occurred.  It was Derek.

“You might think I am crazy, but it feels like someone else is in the room with us,” Todd whispered.

“Trust me, I don’t think you are crazy,” Grace quietly replied.

As Grace reached to turn on the ceiling light, she heard Bella cry out, “Daddy, don’t go!”  Grace grabbed her robe and ran into Bella’s room.  Grace saw Derek’s image next to Bella’s bed.  He slowly faded away.

“Mommy, I saw Daddy.  I know I did.  Did you see him?  He was here singing me a song,” Bella cried as she kept repeating the words over and over again.

Todd threw on his pants and bolted into the room.  “Todd!” Bella cried.  He went over to her and picked her up with his strong arms.  He took her to the rocking chair and lovingly rocked her.

“Everything is okay, Bella.  You are safe.  Your mom and I are right here.” Todd stroked her hair as Bella closed her eyes.  He wiped her tears away.  In no time, she was fast asleep again.  Todd gently put her back into her bed and placed the stuffed bear under her arm.  She was the most beautiful child he had ever known.  Her cries had pierced his heart.  It frightened him down to the core of his being.  He had fallen hard for little Bella.  Todd closed her door and went to find Grace.  He found her sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs crossed.

“Are you alright?” Todd asked as he stroked her hair.  “I could rock you in the rocking chair like Bella?  It seems to calm down Locke women.  Maybe it would work on Leslie.” Todd attempted humor to break through the tension.

“Cute.  Did you hear what Bella said?” Grace asked unsure how to handle what had just occurred.

“I did.  Truthfully, I am not sure what to make of it all.  It’s a little strange.  Has anything like this happened before?” Todd inquired.

“Yes,” Grace said in a low voice.

Todd attempted to gather his thoughts.  He wanted to tread lightly as it was a challenging situation.

“I am not sure what I believe when it comes to the realm of spirits.  I grew up in church hearing about the Holy Spirit, but outside of the last few minutes, I have yet to encounter any of the paranormal.”  Todd stood up and put on his shirt. “Have you spoken to anyone about this?”

“No, I thought I was crazy at first.  Plus, I didn’t think anyone would believe me.”

“I believe you.  I just experienced it for myself,” Todd exclaimed.  “Do you want to tell me about when this occurred before?”

Grace told Todd in detail about all the encounters she previously had with Derek.  She didn’t leave anything out.

“So, you have actually seen Derek?” Todd asked.  “Did you see him tonight?”

“Yes, he was beside Bella’s bed right before you came into the room.  It all started on the night when I first met you.  After Brent and Cora dropped me off, I saw him through a window downstairs.  I thought it might be a figment of my imagination, but deep down I knew what I saw.  I have seen him several times since then.  Why do you think he is coming to me now?  And why does he show himself only to me and now Bella?”

“Grace, I don’t know.  I don’t have any explanations.” 

“What do we do now?”

“It has been a really long day.  It might be a good idea if I left,” Todd said as he stood up and walked to the door.  “Can I call you?”

“Oh, okay.” Grace was very disappointed that Todd wasn’t staying. 

After Todd left, Grace went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.  On the way to the kitchen, her eye was drawn to all of the My Little Ponies Bella had received as birthday presents.  The five pink ponies which Todd brought were already out of their boxes.  They had become Bella’s fast favorites.  Grace picked one up and played with its pink tail.  It made her sad to think that just hours before, Todd and she were laughing and enjoying the day.  They had almost made love before Derek interrupted them.  It was a terrible way to end such a romantic moment. 

Was Todd reconsidering seeing her?  He suffered through Brent, Leslie and Derek all in one day.  Any normal man would have run far from her.  Grace couldn’t help but wonder if Todd would want to see her again.

Todd left Grace’s house and rubbed the sore muscles in his neck.  It had been a rough day.  He couldn’t remember the last time he worked so hard at impressing people.  If that wasn’t enough, the unexplainable phenomenon that happened with Derek, or whatever it was, really freaked him out.  His deep attachment to Bella, not to mention his growing connection with Grace, was also alarming.  He had no idea what to make of it all.  He wanted to run, but toward Grace and all she brought with her or away from her?  It was overwhelming.  He needed some time to sort it all out.

The next day, Leslie wasted no time putting her plan into action.  The first thing she needed to do was regain Grace’s trust.  Without her trust, Leslie would have little power over her.  After she knew the kids were off at school, Leslie stopped by Grace’s house unannounced.  At least this time, she rang the doorbell.  Grace came promptly to the door.

“Leslie, this is a surprise.  Is something wrong?” Grace asked when she opened the door.  Leslie was the last person she wanted to see.  She was hoping it was Todd at the door.  She slept terribly wondering what would happen with their relationship.

“Yes, I am here to apologize.  I was completely out of line yesterday and I want to ask for your forgiveness,” Leslie said pulling Grace into a warm embrace.  “I had no right to throw my opinion on you.  It was just wrong.”  Leslie worked at getting her eyes to moisten up.  She knew it was important to play the part well.

Grace was taken aback.  She couldn’t remember seeing Leslie cry.  Even at Derek’s funeral, she held her composure. 

“You seemed very determined yesterday.  What changed your mind?” Grace asked, still unsure about this sudden turn around.

“After we had our falling out, I went to talk to Todd.  He told me all about his family and upbringing.  Then I saw him interact with Bella and Mattias.  I can’t say that I completely approve of the man, but I will give him a chance to prove himself to the family.  I think that is fair.”

“He told you about his family?  What did he say, exactly?” Grace wondered what Todd told Leslie.  He had been so secretive about his family.  Why would he reveal any details to Leslie before even sharing them with Grace?

“Let’s see.  We talked about his sister, mother and father.  Why do you ask?” Leslie found the topic of Todd’s family intriguing.  Why was Grace so interested?  Her eyebrows lifted when Leslie mentioned his family.

“It’s just that Todd hasn’t told me much about his family yet.  It is a painful subject for him,” Grace admitted.  She didn’t want to say any more to put Leslie back on red alert.

“Well, we didn’t have too much time to talk.  Robert came over and invited Todd to watch the baseball game with him.  You know Robert, he always wants everyone to feel comfortable.”

“Yes, he is the kindest man I know.”  Grace had nothing but respect for Robert.  He pulled her aside near the end of the party to tell her how much he enjoyed getting to know Todd better.  It was really nice to have his encouragement and blessing.

“So, how is Todd today?  Did you all have a nice evening?” Leslie asked attempting to be interested in their relationship.  It wasn’t going to be easy to listen to all the details of their romance, but Leslie needed to gather as much information as possible.  She had attempted to pump Brent for details, but he seemed to have taken a liking to the man.  Cora knew a lot, but Leslie refused to stoop to her level.  The less she had to interact with Cora, the better.  Grace was her last hope.

“It was alright,” Grace said thinking back.

“You must have been exhausted.  Birthday parties take a lot of energy to prepare.”

“Todd stayed and helped me clean up.  We were having a really nice time together until Bella had a nightmare.  It’s kind of complicated to explain.”  Grace didn’t want to share any more with Leslie.  While she appreciated the apology, she knew that Leslie still did not trust Todd.  Grace didn’t want to tell Leslie what was really happening; not until there was more to tell.

“Darling, you know I am always here to help.  The start of relationships can always be a challenge as you get to know one another.  Sometimes little misunderstandings happen until you know each other better.  Did you and Todd have a fight?” Leslie was sure hoping that was the case.  It would make her job a lot easier if there was already trouble in paradise.

“Goodness, no.  I really don’t feel like talking about it anymore.” Grace truly just wanted to talk to Todd so they could work things out.  She didn’t need any more family interference.  Her family was the main reason Todd was distant at the moment.

“I am always just a phone call away, Darling.” Leslie’s smile was pure wickedness.  Getting rid of Todd was proving to be easier than she thought.  “I will leave you so you can rest.  Have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you.  I will talk with you soon,” Grace said as she closed the door.

Once Leslie left, Grace rechecked her email and phone.  Todd had not called, emailed or sent a text message.  Grace finally broke down and sent him an email:

Good morning Todd,

I want to apologize again for the unacceptable behavior my family exhibited yesterday.  I had no idea they would be that difficult.  If I had known, I would have not subjected you to them all in one day.  I didn’t like how we left things last night.  Can we talk?

Grace

Grace settled on the wording and sent the message.  She refused to be the gal just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.  Todd was too important to let slip away.

Todd read the email at work.  He had been thinking of Grace all through the night and the morning.  He wanted to give it a little more time before they spoke.  He had some decisions to make and he wanted to make sure he wasn’t rushed.  Late in the afternoon, he replied to Grace’s email.

Grace,

Thank you for reaching out with your email.  I have been thinking about us.  There are some things I need to work out before we talk.  Can you give me some time?

Todd

When Grace read the email, her heart sank.  It didn’t sound very good, but she couldn’t blame Todd.  She was asking a lot of him.

Todd,

I understand.  Please take your time.  I will be here when you are ready to talk.

Grace

Without the joy that Todd had reintroduced into her life, Grace’s week dragged along slowly.  The springtime flowers seemed to fade.  The funny moments with her kids were slightly lackluster.  Bella kept asking about Todd non-stop.  It was beginning to get on Grace’s nerves.  She didn’t have any answers to Bella’s persistent questions.  Finally, Todd sent her a text message on Friday evening.

Is there any chance I can come over tonight after the kids have gone to sleep?  I would like to talk with you.

Grace was glad he texted her.  While the word ‘talk’ was sometimes a signal that there was trouble in the relationship, she was desperate to see him. 

Grace replied, ‘I will be home all evening.  Please come by whenever you want.’

She hoped that he would come over before the kids went to sleep.  They wanted to see him as much as Grace did, but she didn’t want to put any needless pressure on him.  She had already asked a lot of him.

Todd arrived at 9:00pm.  Both of the children were in their rooms already so it left them alone to talk.  Grace promptly opened the door when she heard his soft knock.

“Hi,” Grace said shyly.

“Thanks for allowing me to come over so late,” Todd answered, pulling Grace into an embrace.

“Please come in.  The kids are already asleep.  We can talk over here,” Grace said, motioning to the couch.  It was difficult not to think about the things Todd did to her the last time they were on the couch together.  Grace swept the memory from her mind in order to focus on the issue at hand.  She wondered if this was the end of their relationship.  Brent always said that all relationships have a beginning, middle and an end.  It was one of his coin expressions which unfortunately resonated with her particularly at that moment.

“I don’t know where to start.  So much has happened since I met you back at the end of last summer,” Todd said as he took her hand.  “Grace, before I met you, I was content with living the rest of my life alone.  I was comfortable and settled.  Then we met.  After being introduced, several red flags went up inside my head.  Please don’t misunderstand me.  It wasn’t anything you did, it was all me.  When Melissa left, I shut people out of my life.  I didn’t want to experience that level of pain ever again.  I promised myself that I would never let anything get to that point again.  I put up a very high wall.”  Todd ran his hand through his hair as he gathered his thoughts.  The conversation was more difficult than he imagined.

“Todd, how can I make this easier for you?” Grace asked sensing how challenging the conversation was for him.

Todd smiled at Grace.  “I appreciate your help, but I need to say exactly how I feel even though it is hard.  I can’t run from my emotions any longer.  So, I built a very tall wall out of fear: fear of being left again, fear of loving and fear of not being enough for someone.  I was actually pretty proud of my wall.  It seemed tall and wide enough to keep everyone out.  What I realized this week while I was working everything out is that somehow, you got on the other side of my wall.  I have no idea how you did it.  One day, I was all alone, safely behind my wall of protection and the next day, you were right there with me.”